Taste of Belgium is turning its Rookwood Exchange restaurant into two businesses in one, launching a dinner-only concept called Jacques Modern Brasserie that will take over the space each evening starting Tuesday, Sept. 22. The new venture arrives as the Cincinnati-based chain works to steady itself following a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing and a string of location closures over the past two years.
Jacques will operate at the Rookwood Exchange location at 3825 Edwards Road, according to a listing on OpenTable. Dinners begin at 4 p.m. Tuesday, and the debut lands during Greater Cincinnati Restaurant Week, which runs Sept. 21 through 27, 2026, per the OpenTable listing.
The concept is the work of chef Patrick Bowling, who is bringing together what OpenTable calls “Belgian roots and French technique” for the new menu. Diners hoping to catch Jacques on a Monday will be out of luck, since Monday dinner service is closed, per OpenTable.
A Restaurant Week Debut With Wider Visibility
Jacques also shows up on the Greater Cincinnati Restaurant Week site, which lists the same Edwards Road address and links out to a dedicated Jacques Restaurant Week page. The timing gives the new concept a built-in audience of diners already looking to try new menus around the city during the promotional week.
The launch comes just months after Taste of Belgium's finances became a very public story. Jean-François Flechet, who founded and owns the chain, filed for Chapter 11 reorganization protection on Jan. 6, according to Local 12. At the time, the company said its remaining restaurants — Rookwood, The Banks and its Findlay Market stand — would stay open, per that report.
The Debt Behind The Bankruptcy Filing
The bankruptcy filing revealed the scale of the chain's financial strain. Taste of Belgium owes $6.3 million to creditors, according to a report from the Cincinnati Business Courier via bizjournals.com. Court filings also listed $2.65 million in secured claims and $217,248 in priority tax obligations, per a separate report from Nation's Restaurant News.
Taste of Belgium has framed the filing as a stabilizing move rather than a sign of collapse. The company said the reorganization was intended to “stabilize the business,” according to WCPO, and described it elsewhere as a proactive step to ensure long-term sustainability, per WLWT's reporting.
How The Footprint Shrunk To Three
Taste of Belgium's footprint has contracted sharply. The chain operated multiple locations before scaling back to just three restaurants. The company also closed an Over-the-Rhine location, per WCPO.
Reports differ on the total number of closures. Bizjournals.com reported that Taste of Belgium had closed seven restaurants, while WLWT reported the company had announced closures of eight locations, including the Over-the-Rhine flagship. Those closures brought legal fallout, including lawsuits related to alleged nonpayment of rent.
Flechet has pointed to broader industry pressures behind the struggles, citing lingering effects from the pandemic, shifts in dining habits, changes in downtown foot traffic, inflation and delivery commissions, according to WLWT. Against that backdrop, Jacques represents an attempt to squeeze new revenue out of an existing space rather than opening — or risking — an entirely new location.
